The Brisbane music scene was devastated by the loss of stalwart performer Alan "Fred" Noonan in May 2024 following a long illness. Fred’s extensive community of bandmates will come together for ‘and event, "Rocky’s Boogie", at the Tivoli in Brisbvane this Saturday, August 10 to celebrate Fred’s legacy from the last 40-plus years.

It is no exaggeration to say that Fred was a Brisbane punk rock legend. Prior to co-founding Blowhard in 1989, Fred was a member of pioneering punk bands Brothers Of Feedback, New Improved Testament and Public Execution (who supported Dead Kennedys in 1984).

Fred was with Blowhard from 1989 to 1993 (and intermittently since). In 1991, via his cowpunk alter-ego Rocky Outcrop. He formed side-project The Fred Band, which ended up being one of Brisbane’s longest-lasting musical legacies. After leaving Blowhard in 1993, Fred co-founded Sixfthick, another enduring Brisbane institution.

Fred also took Brisbane punk's status to the international stage, undertaking several overseas tours with Sixfthick and The Jim Rockfords and finding a second home in France's Brittany region.

The Stems have kicked off their 40th anniversary year with a new single ahead of their national tour, a live LP and dates in Europe.

“Falling from the Sky “is the band’s first recording since their 2007 album “Heads Up”. Recorded at Revolver Studios and mixed at Pet Rock studios in Perth, it features original members Dom Mariani, Julian Matthews, Dave Shaw and current guitarist Ashley Naylor (Even, The Church, Paul Kelly). 

Dom: “I’d written the song about five years ago and had always envisaged the Stems doing it if we ever had the opportunity to record it. Lyrically, it’s a commentary on how attitudes change as one gets older and a little more cynical about things with the hope of love as the redeeming theme in the choruses.

“Dave and I initially tracked the song with Dave suggesting the groove and fuzz tone idea.

:It worked great and we sent it across to Jules to add his distinctive bass and backing vocals.

Hard-Ons are celebrating 40 years of punk rocking in public with tours of both Australia and Europe, and the release of new music - and the release of that stalled full-length feature film, The Most Australian Band Ever”. 

The single "Buzz Buzz Buzz"is out today on Cheersquad Records & Tapes and is the first taste of the current Hard-Ons line-up's yet-to-be announced third album. It's a Tim Rogers/Peter Black co-write and a promise of great things to come. 

“The Most Australian Band Ever” is directed by Jonathan J. Sequeira for production companies Living Eyes and Play Vintage. Sequeira made the acclaimed 2017 Radio Birdman documentary, ”Descent Into The Maelstrom”.

 The film will premiere on October 16 at SXSW in Sydney with a screening and Q&A at the Dendy Newtown. Here's a taste:

Perfectly timed with the band’s anniversary, “The Most Australian Band Ever” offers insight into the band's long existence, with plenty of live footage and interviews and guest appearances from Dave Faulkner (The Victims, Hoodoo Gurus), Ross Knight (Cosmic Psychos), Jerry A (Poison Idea), Steven Hanford aka Thee Slayer Hippy (Poison Idea) and Rob Younger (Radio Birdman).

The film has a particular focus on the Hard-Ons' early days, the obstacles - some self-inflicted - which they've had to overcome, and the legacy they've built.  

The Hard-Ons' 40th Anniversary Australian Tour Oct - Nov 2024
OCT
18 - Soapbox, Brisbane
24 - Sussex Inlet Tavern, Sussex Inlet
25 - La La La’s, Wollongong
26 - Paddo RSL, Sydney
27 - Hamilton Station Hotel, Newcastle
31 - Altar, Hobart
NOV
1 - The Tote, Melbourne
2 - Singing Bird Studios, Frankston
3 - Red Hill Hotel, Castlemaine
4 - Barwon Club, Geelong
7 - Amplifier, Perth
8 - Indian Ocean Hotel, Scarborough
9 - Froth & Fury, Adelaide
Tickets

Australian music industry charity, Support Act, has launched an appeal on behalf of iconic Perth-based punk/garage-rock figure and drummer James Baker, founding member of legendary outfits The Victims, The Scientists, The Hoodoo Gurus, The Beasts of Bourbon and The Dubrovniks. 

James was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer nine years ago and now requires constant care, which means his partner Cathy has to give up full-time work to support him. James and Cathy have been working with a specialist medical team to keep James around for as long as possible. A target of $50,000 has been set to assist with medical and household expenses associated with James' palliative care.

You can donate here.

^{Latter Day Saints: Chris Bailey (right) with drummer Peter Wilkinson and bassist Caspar Wijnberg, in Amsterdam in 2006. Elisabet Corlin photo.}

Here's some more news on long-rumoured posthumous recordings from late Saints singer Chris Bailey.

In an Instagram post today, Church Street Studios engineer Sean Carey flagged that the recent digital single, “Break Away”, comes from a forthcoming album, “Long March Through the Jazz Age", It is the first release of new material since Bailey's passing in 2022.

Recorded by Sean Carey in Church Street Studios, Sydney, Bailey is on vocals, guitar and bass and is aided by long term drummer, Pete Wilkinson and guest Davey Lane (You Am I) on guitar.